Voter turnout at yesterday's polls was 30 to 32 percent, the Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) estimated, according to a statement it issued Tuesday. The High Elections Commission (HEC), meanwhile, didn't give information about voting rates during parliamentary elections Monday, which are set to continue for a second day Tuesday. The FJP's statement said Port Said Governorate had the highest turnout, estimated at 46 percent, followed by Kafr al-Sheikh at 44 percent, Fayoum at 37 percent, Alexandria at 31 percent, Luxor at 30 percent, Assiut at 30 percent, Cairo at 27 percent, and Red Sea at 26 percent. Estimates reflected Egyptians' desire for democracy despite obstacles, the FJP statement reads. Around 130 polling stations were closed for voting Monday, according to the FJP statement. Most of them were in Cairo. Several popular committees, along with the armed forces and the police, took part in protecting voting stations, the group's statement says. In a press conference Monday, HEC head Abdel Moez Ibrahim said voter turnout was higher than expected, but that he had no accurate estimates at the time.
